Project Gutenberg's The Young Lady's Equestrian Manual, by Anonymous This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: The Young Lady's Equestrian Manual Author: Anonymous Release Date: June 26, 2009 [EBook #29248] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG LADY'S EQUESTRIAN MANUAL *** Produced by Julia Miller and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) Transcriber’s Note Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. A list of these changes is found at the end of the text. THE YOUNG LADY’S EQUESTRIAN MANUAL. Mare and foal drinking from a trough Women riding sidesaddle under a tree [i] THE YOUNG LADY’S EQUESTRIAN MANUAL. E.LANDELLS.S. LONDON. WHITEHEAD AND COMPY. 76, FLEET STREET. MDCCCXXXVIII. saddle and whip PREFACE. The following pages contain a Treatise on the Art of Riding on Horseback, for Ladies, which originally appeared in the Publishers’ well-known Manual of elegant feminine Recreations, Exercises, and Pursuits, The Young Lady’s Book; with, however, various additions to the Text, and a number of new Illustrations and Embellishments. In offering the Treatise, thus improved and adorned, in a separate form, the Publishers, it need scarcely be said, have been influenced, materially, by that high and most extensive patronage, which, under Royal auspices, has been conferred by the ladies of this country, since the commencement of the present reign, on the Art of which it is the subject. [ii] [iii] [iv] Young lady offering a treat to a horse Top hat placed on a table top CONTENTS. Page Introduction 7 Equestrian Technicalities 23 The Lady’s Horse 26 Personal Equipments 31 Accoutrements for the Horse 33 Rules of the Road 34 Mode of Mounting 36 Management of the Reins 41 The Seat and Balance 44 Aids and Defences 51 Soothings and Animations 55 Corrections 58 Vices 60 Exercises in the Paces 71 The Walk 73 The Trot 79 The Canter 81 The Gallop 84 Stopping and Backing 85 Leaping 87 Dismounting 91 Concluding Remarks 95 [v] [vi] THE YOUNG LADY’S EQUESTRIAN MANUAL. Our Virgin Queen, peerless Elizabeth, With grace and dignity rode through the host: And proudly paced that gallant steed, as though He knew his saddle was a royal throne. INTRODUCTION. Riding on Horseback is, confessedly, one of the most graceful, agreeable, and salutary of feminine recreations. No attitude, perhaps, can be regarded as more elegant than that of a lady in the modern side-saddle; nor can any exercise be deemed capable of affording more rational and innocent delight, than that of the female equestrian. Pursued in the open air, it affords a most rapid, and, at the same time, exhilarating succession of scenic changes, at a degree of personal exertion, sufficient to produce immediate pleasure, without inducing the subsequent languor of fatigue. Nor is riding on horseback attended with that danger to ladies, attributed to it by the indolent, the melancholy, and the timid. Accidents, indeed, in the side-saddle, are of extremely rare occurrence. Strange as it may seem, it is, however, an incontrovertible fact, that horses, in general, are much more docile and temperate, with riders of the fair sex, than when mounted by men. This may be attributed, partially, to the more backward position, in the saddle, of the former than the latter; but, principally, perhaps, to their superior delicacy of hand in managing the reins. As an active recreation, and a mode of conveyance, riding on horseback appears to have been of very remote usage among our fair countrywomen. During a long period, indeed, it was the only one known to, or, adopted by them, for the performance of journies. Such, too, appears to have been the case (with some modifications) in other European countries. The only voiture of the French, says Garsault, until the reign of Charles the Sixth, was the back of the horse or mule: neither Kings, Queens, Princes, nor subjects were acquainted with any other. In the time of that monarch, litters, borne by two horses, first appeared; but these were uncovered, and used, only, by ladies of the court. Froissart describes Isabel, the second wife of Richard the Second of England, as having been borne “en une litière moult riche, qui etoit ordonnèe pour elle;” and this kind of vehicle, during the reigns of several succeeding Monarchs, appears to have been used by women of distinction in this country, but, only, it is to be observed, in cases of illness, or on occasions of ceremony. For example,—when Margaret, daughter of Henry the Seventh, went into Scotland, she generally rode “a faire palfrey;” while, after her, was conveyed “one vary riche litere, borne by two faire coursers, vary nobly drest; in the which litere the sayd Queene was borne in the intrying of the good townes, or otherwise, to her good playsher.” Towards the end of the thirteenth century, vehicles with wheels, for the use of ladies, were first introduced. They appear to have been of Italian origin, as the first notice of them is found in an account of the entry of Charles of Anjou into Naples; on which occasion, we are told, his queen rode in a careta, the outside and inside of which were covered with sky-blue velvet, interspersed with golden lilies. Under the Gallicised denomination of char, the Italian careta, shortly afterwards became known in France; where, so early as the year 1294, an ordinance was issued by Philip the Fair, forbidding its use to citizens’ wives. Nor was England far behind in the adoption of the vehicle; for, in “The Squyr of Low Degree,” a poem supposed to have been written anterior to the time of Chaucer, we find the father of a royal lady promising that she shall hunt with him, on the morrow, in “a chare,” drawn by “Jennettes of Spain that ben so white, [7] [8] [9] [10] Trapped to the ground with velvet bright.” “It shall be covered with velvet red, And clothes of fine gold all about your head; With damask white and azure blue, Well diapered with lilies blue.” However richly ornamented, the careta, char, or chare—and there is little, if any, doubt, to be entertained as to their identity—may have been, it was, probably, a clumsy, inelegant, and inconvenient structure; for its employment appears to have been far from general among high-born ladies, even on occasions of ceremony and pomp. During the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries, the French Princesses usually rode on donkies; and so late as the year 1534, a sacred festival was attended by Queen Eleonora, and the females of the blood royal of France, on horseback. Nor did the superior and more recent invention of coaches, for a long period, tend materially to supersede, among ladies, the use of the saddle. These vehicles, according to Stow, became known, in England, in 1580; but, many years after, Queen Elizabeth herself is described as having appeared, almost daily, on her palfrey. In the time of Charles the Second, the fashion, among ladies, of riding on horseback, declined; during subsequent reigns, it gradually revived; and the exercise may now be regarded as firmly established, among our fair countrywomen, by the august example of their illustrious Queen. Woman with hunting horn, mounted astride The present graceful, secure, and appropriate style of female equestrianism is, however, materially different from that of the olden time. In by-gone days, the dame or damosel rode precisely as the knight or page. Of this, several illustrations occur in an illuminated manuscript of the fourteenth century, preserved in the Royal Library. In one of these, a lady of that period is depicted on horseback, enjoying the pastime of the chase. In another, are represented two gentlewomen of the same period, on horseback, with an individual of the other sex, engaged (as is shewn by some parts of the design, which it would be needless, for our present purpose, to copy) in the once much-favoured diversion of Hawking. Three women riding astride Queen Elizabeth, says a writer in the Encyclopædia Londinensis, “seems to have been the first who set the ladies the more modest fashion of riding sideways. Considerable opposition was, at first, made to it, as inconvenient and dangerous: but, practice, in time, brought it into general use; particularly when ladies found they could ride a-hunting, take flying leaps, and gallop over cross roads and ploughed fields, without meeting with more accidents than the men: besides, it was not only allowed to be more decorous, but, in many respects, more congenial to the ease and comfort of a female rider.” [11] [12] [13] Our author is, however, wrong in ascribing the fashion of riding sideways, by women in this country, to Elizabeth; by whom it could only have been confirmed, or, at the most, revived;—the honour of its introduction being clearly attributable to another Queen of England, who lived at a much more early period of our history. Ann of Bohemia, consort of Richard the Second, is the illustrious personage to whom we allude. She, it was, according to Stow (whom Beckman follows on this point), that originally shewed the women of this country how gracefully and conveniently they might ride on horseback sideways. Another old historian, enumerating the new fashions of Richard the Second’s reign, observes, “Likewise, noble ladies then used high heads and cornets, and robes with long trains, and seats, or side-saddles, on their horses, by the example of the respectable Queen, Ann, daughter of the King of Bohemia; who first introduced the custom into this kingdom: for, before, women of every rank rode as men do” (T. Rossii, Hist. Re. Ang. p. 205). In his beautiful illustrative picture of Chaucer’s Canterbury Pilgrims, Stothard appears to have committed an anachronism, in placing the most conspicuous female character of his fine composition sideways on her steed. That the lady should have been depicted riding in the male fashion, might, it strikes us, have been inferred, without any historical research on the subject, from the poet’s describing her as having, on her feet, “a paire of spurrés sharpe.” Neither the original example of Ann of Bohemia, nor that, in later days, of Elizabeth, as female equestrians, however extensively followed, had sufficient force, entirely to abolish, among our countrywomen, the mode of riding like the other sex. In the time of Charles the Second, it appears, from a passage in the Duke of Newcastle’s great work on Horsemanship, to have still, at least partially, subsisted. Another writer of the seventeenth century, whose manuscripts are preserved in the Harleian collection, speaks of it, as having been practised, in his time, by the ladies of Bury, in Suffolk, when hunting or hawking; and our venerable contemporary, Lawrence (a voluminous writer on the horse), it is worthy of remark, states, that at an early period of his own life, two young ladies of good family, then residing near Ipswich, in the same county, “were in the constant habit of riding about the country, in their smart doe-skins, great coats, and flapped beaver hats.” Although entirely relinquished, at present, perhaps in this country, the mode of female equestrianism under notice continues to prevail in various other localities. In the following sketch, taken from Charles Audry’s magnificent “Ecole d’ Equitation,” a Persian lady is delineated as just about to start on a journey, in the saddle; and, in the next, which is engraved from an original drawing, “done from the life,” a lady and gentleman of Lima are represented on horseback. “I have endeavoured,” the artist says, in manuscript, on the reverse of his sketch, “to depict the horses ‘pacing;’ as they are almost universally taught to do, in Peru: that is, to move both the legs, of one side, forward together. It resembles an English butcher’s trot in appearance; but, it is so easy, that one might go to sleep on the horse: and, after riding ‘a pacer,’ it is difficult to sit a trotter at first. It is, also, excessively rapid;—good pacers beating other horses at a gallop. The ladies of Lima do not always ride with the face covered: but, only, when the sun is powerful. They, sometimes, ride in ponchos, like the men: in fact, it is excessively difficult, at first sight, to determine whether a person on horseback be male or female.” [14] [15] [16] Pacing horses, ridden by men The side-saddle introduced to this country by Ann of Bohemia, differed, materially, from that now used by British ladies; having, no doubt, been a mere pillion, on which the rider sate, as in a chair. Two women seated sideways on their horses Woman riding side-saddle At what period our fair countrywomen first began to ride with the knee over the pommel, we are not enabled to state: it is, however, clear, according to the original of the above sketch, which occurs in one of the historical illustrations of equestrianism, given by Audry, that the courtly dames of England did so, about the middle of the seventeenth century. Our author describes the figure, as being that of the Countess of Newcastle. Woman riding pillion behind a man [17] [18] It may be conjectured, that a single crutch, only, for the advanced leg, was at first used; and this, it is not improbable, was fixed on the centre of the pommel, as in the lady’s saddle, now, or at least very lately, common in some parts of Mexico; where the women, it would seem, ride with the left hand towards the animal’s head. This, also, appears to have been, sometimes, the case, down to a recent period, in our own country; for, in rather a modern description of the side-saddle, the crutches are spoken of as being moveable, in order to afford a lady, by merely changing their relative positions, the means of riding, as she might please, on either side of her horse.18-* That a second crutch was used about the middle of the last century (we are unable to state how much earlier), in France, at least, is evident from a plate of the lady’s hunting saddle, at that period, given by Garsault; in which, it is curious, a sort of hold-fast is provided for the fair equestrian’s right hand. But, even so recently as Garsault’s time, the saddle in ordinary use, by French women, was, we learn from his work on equitation, still, a kind of pillion, on which the rider sate, diagonally, with both feet resting on a broad suspended ledge or stirrup. The pillion in this country has not yet become obsolete; being still, frequently, to be seen, on the backs of donkies and hack ponies, at watering places. During the early part of the present century, its employment continued to be general. It was fixed behind a man’s saddle, on the croup of a steady horse, trained to go at an easy though shuffling pace between a walk and a trot. The groom, or gentleman, equipped with a broad leathern belt buckled about his waist—by which the lady secured her position, in case of need—first mounted; and his fair companion was then lifted, backwards, and behind him, into her seat. In an old work on horsemanship, written by one William Stokes, and published at Oxford, it is not, perhaps, unworthy of notice, directions are given for vaulting into the saddle, after the lady has been placed on the croup; together with a plate illustrative of so exquisitely nice and marvellously absurd an operation. In Mexico “they manage these things,” if not “better,” at all events, with more gallantry, than our forefathers did, for with them, “the pisana, or country lady,” we are told, “is often seen mounted before her cavaliero; who, seated behind his fair one, supports her with his arm thrown around her waist.” Our illustrative sketch of this custom (in the preceding page) is taken from a beautiful model,—the work of a native Mexican artist. Woman seated in front of the man Having, now, offered our fair readers a slight and unpretending historical sketch of female equestrianism, we shall proceed, after a few preliminary remarks, to the practical details of the art. Its various advantages, inducements, and attractions, as an exercise, have, already, been noticed. Much, however, as we wish to interest our fair countrywomen, in its favour, it is proper, on our part, to tell them, frankly, that equestrianism is far from being an intuitive art:—there is no “royal road” to it. To be enjoyed and appreciated, it must be learnt. That ease and elegance,—that comparative safety in the side-saddle, of which we have spoken,—it is impossible to achieve, without considerable practice, based upon proper principles. Many young ladies, however, feel a delicate repugnance to passing through the ordeal of a riding-school; some, again, do not reside in situations, where the benefit of a teacher’s directions can be procured; while others, erroneously flatter themselves, that they are in possession of every needful acquirement, as regards equestrianism, when they have discovered how to retain a seat on the saddle, and guide a horse by means of the bridle. To such of our readers as happen to be comprised within either of these classes,—and to those, also, who, after having received a professor’s initiative instructions, are desirous of further improvement, the following pages, if carefully perused, will, the writer most zealously hopes, prove beneficial. [19] [20] [21] [22] 18-* Since writing the above, we have been assured by a friend, that, within a few weeks past, he has seen several ladies, at Brighton, seated on the wrong side of the horse. Side-saddles, with moveable crutches, indeed, are now far from uncommon (to our own knowledge), in saddlers’ shops. EQUESTRIAN TECHNICALITIES. A few, among the most generally adopted, of these, it will be expedient, in the first place, to notice and explain. Most parts in the external structure of the horse are known by names of obvious signification: but such is not, exactly, the case with all. Diagram of horse anatomy To commence with the anterior limb:—a is the fore pastern; b, the fetlock; c, the leg; and d, the arm. In the hind limb, e is the hind pastern; f, the hock; g, the stifle; and h, the haunch. The upper surface of the neck, i, is denominated the crest; k, the withers, and l, the croup. Curb bit. Diagram of parts of bridle. Snaffle bit. Curb bit. Snaffle bit. In the bridle, supposing it to be double-reined, a is the double head-stall; b, the front; c, the nose-band; d, the throat- [23] [24] lash; e, e, the snaffle rein; and f, f, the curb rein. At g, g, is the martingale. Diagram of a side-saddle In the saddle, a, is the near crutch; b, the off crutch; c, the cantle; d, the crupper; e, the safe; f, the skirt; g, the stirrup; h, the near side half of the surcingle; and i, i, the girths. A lady’s right hand is termed the whip-hand, and her left, the bridle-hand. The near side of a horse is that which is on the left of the rider; and the off side that which is on her right. The height of a horse is always estimated in hands, of four inches each: it is always measured at the tip of the shoulder. A horse is never spoken of as being so many hands tall, but so many hands high. THE LADY’S HORSE. Although the lady usually has a horse selected for her, by some gentleman, either of her own family or her acquaintance, it may not be inexpedient to inform the fair reader of those qualities which, combined in the same animal, may be said to constitute a complete lady’s horse. Such a creature, however, we must observe, is exceedingly difficult to be procured, even by those possessed of the nicest judgment on the subject; and, to whom, the usually important question of price is not an object of consideration. The beau ideal of this kind of horse is superlatively elegant in form, exquisitely fine in coat, and unexceptionably beautiful in colour; of a height, in the nicest degree appropriate to the figure of the rider; graceful, accurate, well-united, and thoroughly safe in every pace; “light as a feather” in the hand, though not at all painfully sensitive to a proper action of the bit; bold in the extreme, yet superlatively docile; free, in every respect, from what is technically denominated “vice;” excellent in temper, but still “though gentle, yet not dull;” rarely, if ever, requiring the stimulus of the whip, yet submitting temperately to its occasional suggestions. [25] [26] [27] Head and neck of a horse wearing a bridle In some, though not in all respects, the form should approach closely to that of a thorough-bred animal. The head should be small, neat, “well-set” on the neck, and gracefully “carried.” The nostrils should be wide; the eyes large, rather protruding, dark, yet brilliant; the ears erect, and delicately tapering towards their tips. The expression of the countenance should be lively, animated, noble, and most highly intelligent; the neck rather arched and muscular; the ridge of the shoulders narrow and elevated; the chest full and fleshy; the back broad; the body, round or barrel-like; the space between the hips and tail, long, and very gradually depressed towards the latter organ, which, it is essential, should be based high on the croup. The fore and hind limbs should be distant, the one pair from the other; the “arms” muscular; the knees broad, the hocks (laterally) wide; the legs flat and sinewy; the pasterns rather long; and the hoofs large, and nearly round. A rough, or, what is technically termed, a “staring” coat, considerably deteriorates the appearance of a horse, however perfect in other conditions. Its surface, on a well-bred, healthy, and properly groomed animal, is not only smooth, but brilliantly polished. The mane, if too long and thick, will interfere with that delicate management of the reins so desirable to a lady on horseback; and the tail, if of immoderate length, will, by the animal’s whisking it towards his sides, prove inconvenient, to the fair rider, at all times; but, especially so, in dirty weather. Neither of these appendages, however, on the other hand, should be ungracefully brief or scanty. Of all colours presented by the horse, none is so rich, and, at the same time, so elegant and chaste, as a bright bay; provided the mane, tail, and lower parts of the legs, be black. A small white star on the forehead, and a white speck on one of the heels, are to be considered, rather, as beauties, than defects: but much white, either on the face or legs, whatever be the general hue, is quite the reverse of desirable. After bright bay, chestnut, perhaps, deserves to rank next in the scale of taste; provided it be not, as is very frequently the case, accompanied with white legs. Some of the various shades of grey, however, are, in the opinion of many, entitled to be placed above it: of these, the silver grey, with black mane and tail, claims the highest place. Brown is rather exceptionable, on account of its dulness. Black is not much admired; though, as we think, when of a deep jet, remarkably elegant. Roan, sorrel, dun, piebald, mouse, and even cream colour (however appropriate the latter may be for a state-carriage-horse) are all to be eschewed. The height of her horse should be in harmonious proportion with that of the rider. A very young or short lady is in no less false a position, as regards grace, on a lofty steed, than a tall, full-grown woman, on a diminutive pony. For ladies of the general stature, a horse measuring from fifteen to fifteen and a half hands, at the point of the shoulder, is usually considered, as regards height, more desirable than any other. In paces, the lady’s horse should be perfect; or, at all events, so far as regards the walk and canter. The former should be fast, bold, firm, and lively, without being unsteady; and, the latter, light, easy, well-combined, and graceful: so, too, should the hand-gallop; although, it is true, a lady’s horse is rarely put to this pace, unless used for the field. The trot, again, is but little practised: still the complete lady’s horse is expected to be capable of performing it with great precision of step, and but little concussion to the rider:—many ladies regarding it,—however discountenanced by the majority, perhaps,—as preferable, from its vigour, liveliness, and dash, to any other pace. To expatiate on the absolute necessity of the lady’s horse being safe on his limbs, would be needless. The mouth should be sensible of the most delicate hint of the rider’s will, communicated to it by means of the bit. A horse that pulls hard, or hangs heavily upon the reins, is very unsuitable for a lady’s use: so, again, is one having the mouth so tender as to suffer from moderate pressure, either by the snaffle or the curb. The former is no less fatiguing to, than the latter is distressed by, the bridle hand. [28] [29] [30] Man standing, holding a horse PERSONAL EQUIPMENTS. In the selection of these, a lady has a fair opportunity for the proper display of a refined and judicious taste. All that is gaudy, needless, or even elaborate, is vulgar. Perfect simplicity, indeed, as regards, not only her own costume, but “the trappings of her palfrey,” is expected, at the present day, on the part of every well-bred female equestrian. The habit should fit the bust, without a crease: but, beneath the waist, it ought to be, not only long, but, somewhat full and flowing. Its colour should be dark as possible, without being positively black. The hair should be plaited; or, if otherwise dressed, so arranged and secured, that it may not be blown into the rider’s eyes; nor, from exercise, or the effect of humid weather, be liable to be so discomposed, as to become embarrassing. To ride in a bonnet is far from judicious. A hat, or neat undress military cap, is indispensable to the female equestrian. It should be secured most carefully to the head: for, the loss of it would not merely be inconvenient, but, perhaps, dangerous, from the startling effect which its fall might produce on the sensitive temperament of the horse. A veil is the reverse of objectionable, provided it be of moderate length, and safely tied to the hat or cap; which, it is proper to state, should have no other ornament or appendage. The whip should be exquisitely neat and highly finished; but with little, if any, decoration. Dog playing with a hunting whip ACCOUTREMENTS FOR THE HORSE. Every accoutrement for the horse, however ornamental and pictorial, beyond the mere saddle and bridle, is to be [31] [32] [33] rejected, as being in bad taste. The crupper and breast-band are now almost obsolete; the saddle-cloth has nearly disappeared; nettings are, generally speaking, abandoned; and the martingale itself, valuable as it may be for horses of a certain character, is rarely to be seen. Simplicity, indeed, as regards female equestrianism, is now imperatively (and, strange to say, most judiciously) enjoined, by “that same fickle goddess, Fashion,” in obedience to whose sovereign behest, a lady’s horse, in the olden time, was disguised, as it were, “in cloth of gold most curiously wrought.” RULES OF THE ROAD. Without a knowledge of these, the fair equestrian, when riding in public, would be exposed to considerable inconvenience, and, often, to no slight degree of danger. By a generally understood compact, persons, whether riding or driving, when proceeding in opposite directions, pass, each on his or her own near, or left-hand, side, of the road; and when on a parallel course, the faster party goes by the other, on the off, or right. In other words, when the former is the case, the right hands of the parties meeting, are towards each other; and, in the latter, the left hand of the faster, is towards the right hand of the slower. It follows, therefore, that when the rider is about to meet horses or carriages, she should take her ground on her near, or left, side of the road; and, when about to pass those travelling in the same direction with, though at a less speedy pace than, herself, on her right, or off. In meeting one rider, or vehicle, and, at the same time, passing, by superior speed, another, she must leave the first, on her right, and the second, on her left. It will not be inexpedient, under the present head, to make some observations as to which side the lady should take, when riding in company with a gentleman. Adams, a teacher of equitation, and the author of a work on the subject, remarks, that the only inducements for a gentleman to ride on the left of a lady, would be, that, by having his right hand towards her, in case of her needing assistance, he might, the more readily and efficiently, be enabled to afford it, than if he were on the opposite side; and, should any disarrangement occur in the skirt of her habit, he might screen it until remedied. On the other hand, our author observes, with great good sense, though in terms somewhat homely,— addressing, it is to be noticed, his remarks to gentlemen,—“the inconvenience of riding on the left of the lady, is, that if you ride near, to give her any assistance, you are liable to rub, or incommode, the lady’s legs, and alarm her; and the spur is liable to catch, or tear, the lady’s habit: if the roads are dirty, your horse, likewise, bespatters the lady’s habit. On the right hand of the lady, these inconveniences do not occur, if you ride ever so close; and you are situated next the carriages, and the various objects you meet, which, in narrow roads, or, passing near, might intimidate a lady. For these reasons, I think it most proper to take the right hand of a lady.” [34] [35] [36] MOUNTING. On approaching a horse, the skirt of the habit should be gracefully gathered up, and the whip be carried in the right hand. It is the groom’s duty, when the rider approaches, to gather up the reins with his left hand, smoothly and evenly, the curb rein between, and somewhat tighter than the bridoon, properly dividing them with his fore-finger. The lady advancing, on the near side of the horse, to the saddle, receives them a little more forward than the point of the horse’s shoulder, with her right hand, which still retains and passes the whip over the saddle to the off or right side. On taking the bridle in this manner, her fore-finger is placed between the reins: the groom then removes his hand, and the lady draws her own back, suffering the reins to glide gently and evenly through her fingers, until she reaches the near crutch of the saddle, which she takes with her right hand, still holding the whip and reins, and places herself close to the near side of the horse, with her back almost turned towards him. The groom now quits his former post, and prepares to assist her to mount. The horse being thus left to the lady’s government, it is proper, that, in passing her hand through the reins she should not have suffered them to become so loose as to prevent her, when her hand is on the crutch, from having a light, but steady bearing on the bit, and thus keeping the horse to his position during the process of mounting. She next places her left foot firmly in the right hand of the groom, or gentleman, in attendance, who stoops to receive it. The lady then puts her left hand on his right shoulder; and, straightening her left knee, bears her weight on the assistant’s hand; which he gradually raises (rising, himself, at the same time) until she is seated on the saddle. During her elevation, she steadies, and even, if necessary, partly assists herself towards the saddle by her hands; one of which, it will be recollected, is placed on the crutch, and the other on her assistant’s shoulder. It is important that she should keep her foot firm and her knee straight. [37] [38]